9,125 CRASHES IN
CONNECTICUT, CT
MAY 2015

Motor vehicle occupants accounted for the majority of traffic casualties, with 27 motorists killed and 3,118 injured. Among vulnerable road users, 3 pedestrians were killed and 104 were injured. While no cyclists were killed during this period, 39 sustained injuries in crashes.

Crash frequency peaked on Fridays, which saw 1,787 incidents, and the single busiest hour for crashes was the 4 p.m. hour, with 863 events. Collisions were most common during afternoon commuting hours, with a sustained peak from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m., indicating a strong correlation with daily traffic patterns.

Of the 9,125 total crashes, 74.6% (6,807) resulted in no injuries. The remaining 25.4% of crashes involved at least one possible, minor, or serious injury. There were 29 distinct fatal crashes, which resulted in a total of 30 fatalities, as a single crash can involve more than one death.

Severity is per crash event (most severe injury). 29 fatal crash events resulted in 30 persons killed.

The vast majority of crashes occurred in ideal driving conditions. Specifically, 92.0% of crashes happened in clear weather, 94.4% on dry road surfaces, and 80.7% during daylight hours. Crashes in the rain accounted for 320 incidents, while those on wet roads numbered 442.

Among all persons involved in crashes, the 26-34 age group was the most represented, accounting for 3,860 individuals, followed by the 45-54 age group (3,423). Based on vehicle records, the most frequently involved vehicle makes were Honda (1,956 vehicles), Toyota (1,796), and Ford (1,754).

Roadways with a posted speed limit of 25 mph saw the highest number of crashes, with 2,678 incidents, representing 29.3% of the total. The percentage of crashes within a given speed zone that resulted in a fatality tended to increase with the speed limit. For instance, 0.22% of crashes in 25 mph zones were fatal, while this figure rose to 1.70% for crashes in 65 mph zones.

Crash distribution was heavily concentrated in three counties, which together accounted for over 82% of all incidents statewide. Fairfield County recorded the most crashes with 2,831, followed by New Haven County (2,528) and Hartford County (2,183).

Analysis by municipality shows that the highest crash volumes occurred in the state's largest urban centers. New Haven had the most incidents with 646 crashes, followed by Hartford with 578, Stamford with 460, and Waterbury with 457.

Among crashes where road class was specified, Local roads accounted for the highest number of incidents with 333. Combined, limited-access highways like Interstates (227 crashes) and Freeways/Expressways (134 crashes) represented 25.0% of these crashes.

Crashes were split between local and state-maintained roadways. Local roads accounted for 3,705 crashes (43.2%), while state-maintained routes, including State, Interstate, and US Routes, were the location for 4,879 crashes, or 56.8% of the total where the route system was identified.

Of the crashes where roadway ownership was recorded, the vast majority occurred on public roads (8,451 incidents). A total of 358 crashes, or 4.1% of this subset, took place on private property such as parking lots or private drives.

Based on the available data classifying crash locations, 1,277 incidents occurred in urban areas. Crashes in rural areas accounted for 166 incidents, representing 11.5% of this classified total.

A majority of crashes, 6,204 incidents or 68.3%, did not occur at an intersection. Of the crashes that did happen at a junction, four-way intersections were the most common location (1,414 crashes), followed by T-intersections (1,276 crashes).

For crashes involving a collision with a fixed object, the most commonly struck items were guardrail faces (180 incidents), utility poles or light supports (175), and curbs (118). Combined, collisions with utility poles and trees accounted for 278 incidents, representing 22.7% of all recorded fixed-object crashes.

Passenger cars were the most common vehicle type involved in crashes, accounting for 10,979 of the 17,385 vehicles recorded. Sport utility vehicles (2,901) and pickups (1,142) were also frequently involved. Notably, 388 medium or heavy trucks, 190 motorcycles, and a combined 141 school or transit buses were documented in these incidents.

The majority of vehicles in crashes were at locations with no traffic control device, accounting for 11,610 vehicles (67.1% of those with specified controls). Locations with a traffic signal were the site of crashes involving 4,136 vehicles, while intersections controlled by a stop sign involved 1,119 vehicles.

Among crashes involving motorcyclists or vulnerable road users, motorcyclists were the largest group with 183 incidents. There were 109 crashes involving pedestrians and 48 involving bicyclists. Combined, pedestrians and bicyclists were involved in 157 crashes, representing 46.2% of this specific crash subset.

The most common contributing action cited for drivers was 'Followed Too Closely,' which was noted for 2,842 drivers. Other frequent actions included 'Failed to Keep in Proper Lane' (1,329 drivers) and 'Failed to Yield Right-of-Way' (875 drivers).

While most drivers were recorded as 'Apparently Normal,' several contributing conditions were noted. A total of 263 drivers were suspected of being under the influence of medications, drugs, or alcohol. Additionally, 161 drivers were identified as asleep or fatigued, and 115 were noted as being in an emotional state.

The most common pre-crash action for vehicles involved was moving straight ahead, which was the case for 7,749 vehicles (44.6%). A significant number of vehicles were either stopped in traffic (1,950) or in the process of slowing (1,297) immediately prior to the collision.

The front of the vehicle was the most common point of initial impact, recorded for 5,010 vehicles, or 28.8% of those involved. The rear of the vehicle was the second most frequent impact point, accounting for 3,738 vehicles (21.5%).

Among the 152 instances where a pedestrian's action was documented, 72 were classified as 'No Improper Action.' For those with contributing actions, the most common were 'Dart/Dash' into the roadway (18 instances), being in the roadway improperly (17), and failure to yield the right-of-way (12).

The most prevalent type of collision was 'Front to rear,' which accounted for 3,642 incidents, or 39.9% of all crashes with a specified manner. Angle collisions were the second most common type with 1,570 incidents (17.2%), followed by same-direction sideswipes at 1,231 incidents (13.5%).

Of the 23,316 individuals involved in crashes, the majority were drivers (16,288 persons, or 69.9%). Passengers made up the next largest group with 5,764 individuals (24.7%). The data also includes 115 pedestrians and 48 bicyclists.

Across all 23,316 people involved in crashes, 19,088 (81.9%) were not injured. A total of 3,261 individuals sustained injuries of possible, minor, or serious severity. Thirty individuals, or 0.13% of all persons involved, suffered fatal injuries.

Among motor vehicle occupants where safety equipment use was documented, 15,950 were reported as using a shoulder and lap belt. A total of 492 occupants were recorded as not using any restraint system. The data also noted the use of forward-facing child restraints in 463 cases.

The majority of crashes involved two vehicles, accounting for 6,983 incidents (76.5% of the total). Single-vehicle crashes were the next most common scenario, with 1,576 incidents (17.3%). Crashes involving three or more vehicles numbered 565, with one incident involving seven vehicles.